[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
and stared at his hand. A point of light had begun to flicker in the depths of
the sphere. As he watched, not daring to breathe, it blossomed and shimmered.
Taran sprang to his feet with a cry not of triumph but of wonder.
Golden beams shone around him faintly but steadily. Trembling, he raised the
sphere high above his head.
"Kind master saves us!" cried Gurgi. "Yes, yes! He takes us from
loomings and gloomings! Joy and happiness! Fearful darkness is gone! Gurgi can
see again!"
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Amazing!" cried Prince Rhun. "Astonishing! Look at this cave! I
never knew we had such a place on Mona!"
Again Taran cried out in wonder. Until now, he had believed they had
fallen into something like a large burrow. The glow of Eilonwy's bauble showed
they had come, instead, to the edge of an enormous cavern. It stretched before
them like a forest after an ice storm. Columns of stone rose like the trunks
of trees and arched to the ceiling where stone icicles clung. Along the
shadowy walls, huge outcroppings sprang like hawthorn blossoms and glittered
in the bauble's golden rays. Threads of scarlet and vivid green twisted
through luminous shafts of rock. White tendrils of crystal curled along jagged
walls gleaming with rivulets of water. Still other chambers lay beyond this
one, and Taran caught sight of wide pools, flat and glistening as mirrors.
Some gave a dull, greenish glow, others a pale blue.
"What have we found?" Taran whispered. "Can this be a part of the
Fair Folk's realm?"
Fflewddur shook his head. "The Fair Folk surely have tunnels and
caves where you'd least expect them, but I doubt this is one. There's no sign
of life at all."
Gurgi did not speak, but stared with round eyes at the cavern.
Prince Rhun, an expression of delight on his face, stepped ahead. "I say, this
really is surprising!" he said. "I shall have to tell my father about this and
see if he won't open it up to visitors. It would be a shame to keep it hidden
away."
"It is a place of great beauty," Taran said in a hushed voice.
"And a deadly place for us," replied Fflewddur. "A Fflam enjoys the
scenery--- that's one advantage of being a wandering bard--- but from the---
ah--- outside, if I make myself clear, which I believe is where we should put
ourselves as quickly as we can."
The companions retraced their steps to where the landslide had
carried them. As Taran had feared, the light of the golden ball showed that
digging a passage would be vain, for heavy boulders filled the pit, blocking
it entirely. While Prince Rhun rested on one of the table-like stones, and
Gurgi delved into his wallet for food, Taran and Fflewddur spoke hastily
between themselves.
"We must find another passage," Taran said. "King Rhuddlum and his
Page 63
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
men will never reach Eilonwy now. We are the only ones who know the direction
Magg has taken."
"All too true," Fflewddur glumly replied. "Yet I fear that knowledge
is going to stay locked up with us here, Achren herself couldn't have thrown
us into a stronger prison.
"There are surely other ways in and out," the bard went on, "but
these caverns can stretch who knows how far. Underground, they may be
enormous--- and the entry no bigger than a rabbit hole."
Nevertheless, they agreed they had no choice but to continue into
the cavern and seek a passage leading them above ground. Keeping the Prince of
Mona protectively between them, Taran and the bard set off through the forest
of stone, with Gurgi trotting behind and clutching Taran's belt.
Without warning Prince Rhun suddenly cupped his hands around his
mouth and shouted, "Hullo! Hullo!" at the top of his voice. "Anyone here?
Hullo!"
"Rhun!" Taran cried. "Be silent! You will bring more danger on us."
"I should hardly think so," answered Rhun innocently. "It seems to
me that finding someone or something is better than finding nothing at all."
"And risk our necks doing so?" Taran retorted.
He halted until the echoes had died away. No further sound came from
the reaches of the cavern, and Taran warily beckoned the companions forward.
The ground dipped and they found themselves amid stones that jutted
like huge teeth from the ground. Farther on the cavern floor rolled and
twisted in high waves and deep valleys, as though a stormy sea had been frozen
motionless. Another chamber held massive piles of rock and tall mounds that
had taken the fanciful shapes of unmoving clouds.
Here the toiling companions rested a moment, for the path had
narrowed and grown more difficult. The air was heavy, stagnant as swamp water,
and chilled them to the bone. Taran urged them to their feet once again,
anxious to find a tunnel leading upward, but fearing more and more that their
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
search would be long and painful. A glance at the bard's face told Taran that
Fflewddur shared his fears.
"I say, there's an odd thing," called Rhun, pointing to a tumble of
rock.
It was, indeed, one of the strangest shapes Taran had seen in the
cavern, for it looked like a hen's egg sticking halfway out of a nest. The
stone was white, smooth, and somewhat pointed at the top, crusted here and
there with patches of lichen, and stood nearly as tall as Taran himself. What
at first resembled a nest was a tangled, discolored fringe of coarse strands
that seemed to balance on the edge of a sharp drop. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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and stared at his hand. A point of light had begun to flicker in the depths of
the sphere. As he watched, not daring to breathe, it blossomed and shimmered.
Taran sprang to his feet with a cry not of triumph but of wonder.
Golden beams shone around him faintly but steadily. Trembling, he raised the
sphere high above his head.
"Kind master saves us!" cried Gurgi. "Yes, yes! He takes us from
loomings and gloomings! Joy and happiness! Fearful darkness is gone! Gurgi can
see again!"
Page 62
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Amazing!" cried Prince Rhun. "Astonishing! Look at this cave! I
never knew we had such a place on Mona!"
Again Taran cried out in wonder. Until now, he had believed they had
fallen into something like a large burrow. The glow of Eilonwy's bauble showed
they had come, instead, to the edge of an enormous cavern. It stretched before
them like a forest after an ice storm. Columns of stone rose like the trunks
of trees and arched to the ceiling where stone icicles clung. Along the
shadowy walls, huge outcroppings sprang like hawthorn blossoms and glittered
in the bauble's golden rays. Threads of scarlet and vivid green twisted
through luminous shafts of rock. White tendrils of crystal curled along jagged
walls gleaming with rivulets of water. Still other chambers lay beyond this
one, and Taran caught sight of wide pools, flat and glistening as mirrors.
Some gave a dull, greenish glow, others a pale blue.
"What have we found?" Taran whispered. "Can this be a part of the
Fair Folk's realm?"
Fflewddur shook his head. "The Fair Folk surely have tunnels and
caves where you'd least expect them, but I doubt this is one. There's no sign
of life at all."
Gurgi did not speak, but stared with round eyes at the cavern.
Prince Rhun, an expression of delight on his face, stepped ahead. "I say, this
really is surprising!" he said. "I shall have to tell my father about this and
see if he won't open it up to visitors. It would be a shame to keep it hidden
away."
"It is a place of great beauty," Taran said in a hushed voice.
"And a deadly place for us," replied Fflewddur. "A Fflam enjoys the
scenery--- that's one advantage of being a wandering bard--- but from the---
ah--- outside, if I make myself clear, which I believe is where we should put
ourselves as quickly as we can."
The companions retraced their steps to where the landslide had
carried them. As Taran had feared, the light of the golden ball showed that
digging a passage would be vain, for heavy boulders filled the pit, blocking
it entirely. While Prince Rhun rested on one of the table-like stones, and
Gurgi delved into his wallet for food, Taran and Fflewddur spoke hastily
between themselves.
"We must find another passage," Taran said. "King Rhuddlum and his
Page 63
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
men will never reach Eilonwy now. We are the only ones who know the direction
Magg has taken."
"All too true," Fflewddur glumly replied. "Yet I fear that knowledge
is going to stay locked up with us here, Achren herself couldn't have thrown
us into a stronger prison.
"There are surely other ways in and out," the bard went on, "but
these caverns can stretch who knows how far. Underground, they may be
enormous--- and the entry no bigger than a rabbit hole."
Nevertheless, they agreed they had no choice but to continue into
the cavern and seek a passage leading them above ground. Keeping the Prince of
Mona protectively between them, Taran and the bard set off through the forest
of stone, with Gurgi trotting behind and clutching Taran's belt.
Without warning Prince Rhun suddenly cupped his hands around his
mouth and shouted, "Hullo! Hullo!" at the top of his voice. "Anyone here?
Hullo!"
"Rhun!" Taran cried. "Be silent! You will bring more danger on us."
"I should hardly think so," answered Rhun innocently. "It seems to
me that finding someone or something is better than finding nothing at all."
"And risk our necks doing so?" Taran retorted.
He halted until the echoes had died away. No further sound came from
the reaches of the cavern, and Taran warily beckoned the companions forward.
The ground dipped and they found themselves amid stones that jutted
like huge teeth from the ground. Farther on the cavern floor rolled and
twisted in high waves and deep valleys, as though a stormy sea had been frozen
motionless. Another chamber held massive piles of rock and tall mounds that
had taken the fanciful shapes of unmoving clouds.
Here the toiling companions rested a moment, for the path had
narrowed and grown more difficult. The air was heavy, stagnant as swamp water,
and chilled them to the bone. Taran urged them to their feet once again,
anxious to find a tunnel leading upward, but fearing more and more that their
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
search would be long and painful. A glance at the bard's face told Taran that
Fflewddur shared his fears.
"I say, there's an odd thing," called Rhun, pointing to a tumble of
rock.
It was, indeed, one of the strangest shapes Taran had seen in the
cavern, for it looked like a hen's egg sticking halfway out of a nest. The
stone was white, smooth, and somewhat pointed at the top, crusted here and
there with patches of lichen, and stood nearly as tall as Taran himself. What
at first resembled a nest was a tangled, discolored fringe of coarse strands
that seemed to balance on the edge of a sharp drop. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]